AP: Governor hoping for concealed weapons compromise

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
The Associated Press
12/17/2003, 6:39 p.m. ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gov. Bob Taft said Wednesday he's hopeful a compromise on legislation allowing Ohioans to carry concealed weapons can still be reached, probably early next year.

Taft raised the possibility less than a week after insisting he would veto a bill approved by lawmakers on the last session day of the legislative calendar this year.

Taft, a Republican, said his staff is talking with House Republicans about a deal to support the governor's requirements for making weapons records public.

If the deal is reached, two bills would go to Taft. He would sign both, with the second upholding the public records provision.

Taft initially wanted the names and other limited information about people with concealed weapons permits to be public. After lawmakers balked, a compromise was reached with the Senate: reporters could request the entire list of names from a county sheriff.

The House refused, and offered a narrower proposal allowing reporters, on a case-by-case basis, to ask if a particular person was on the list.

Taft rejected that idea as too limiting.

"I'm not changing my position at all," Taft said Wednesday. "We're not looking for a common middle ground here. I've gone as far as I can go in the proposal to the Senate."

Senate President Doug White said Wednesday that Senate Republicans could support either records proposal, as they did last week, or a compromise between the two positions.

White, a Manchester Republican, said he does not have votes to override a Taft veto.

The sponsor of the House version of the bill criticized Taft's hope for a broader records proposal.

On top of strict background checks and rigorous training requirements, "it would be too much of a deterrent for a law-abiding person to get permits and it defeats the crime-deterrent aspect of the bill," said Rep. Jim Aslanides, a Coshocton Republican.

House Speaker Larry Householder declined to address Taft's comments directly.

"We're continuing to work and try to give law-abiding Ohioans the ability to protect themselves and their families," Dwight Crum, a Householder spokesman, said Wednesday.

Jeff Garvas, president of Ohioans for Concealed Carry, said in a statement that the bill approved last week should not be changed.

Taft said the public records' provision is needed to prove the law is working right.

"The objective is that law-abiding citizens could protect themselves by accessing a permit but persons who may be convicted criminals do not access those weapons," he said. "You need some public accountability to make sure that the law is being enforced as intended."

Aslanides said a requirement that sheriffs check the background of permit applicants provides that accountability.

The bill now headed for Taft allows Ohioans to receive a permit after undergoing a background check and proper training.

The bill also removes a current provision of law that allows people arrested for carrying a hidden gun to prove to prosecutors or a judge that the practice is essential for safety reasons.

That provision is known as an affirmative defense.

Instead, people who fear for their lives could receive an emergency 90-day permit after undergoing a background check and signing an affidavit saying they believed they were in danger.